Cape Town: President Cyril Ramaphosa has now delayed the devolution of rail to capable cities by another year. Capetonians urgently need reliable and safe trains in the city. Ramaphosa said that they were promised to bring the “devolution strategy” in the year 2022 and have now pushed it to the end of the year 2025.
Mayor of Cape Town – Geordin Hill-Lewis said that the City of Cape Town was disappointed by the President Cyril Ramaphosa, due to the announcement he made regarding the ‘National Rail Master Plan’, that would now only be completed by the end of the year 2025.
The weekly newsletter presented by the President on Monday, October 28, 2024 noted that, the city has been calling for the urgent devolution of rail to allow the metro to operate passenger trains.
A functional passenger rail service will save the lower income families in Cape Town R932 million per year and will sustain the 51,000 jobs in the metro. According to the Rail Feasibility Study of the City, it was set to serve on next week’s agenda of the Council’s Portfolio Committee for Urban Mobility.
In weekly newsletter, the President stated that the work is under way to develop a National Rail Masterplan that will lay out the future for rail in South Africa. Among other things, the Masterplan will cover the passenger rail in the cities, including rapid rail.
The newsletter will also cover high speed rail over long distances between the centres. The substantial work required to develop the Masterplan which is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
In its response, Mayor Hill-Lewis said these continued delays are not acceptable to Capetonians who urgently need a safe, affordable and reliable passenger rail service.
The National Rail Policy White Paper 2022 of the Cabinet first promised the delivery of Devolution Strategy by 2023. Then on September 05, 2023, in Parliament the President promised the strategy that would be concluded and approved by 2024.
They were very worried back in February at the President’s failure to even mention the devolution strategy in SONA and now we hear of new deadline of end-2025 for a ‘masterplan’.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said, “Given the track record to date and continuous delays, it is highly unlikely that the Rail Masterplan will be ready by the end of the next year. The word devolution was also absent from the newsletter by the President.
According to the suggestions, the ANC is now tracking back on promises to devolve passenger rail for capable metros to run. Mayor Lewis said that they condemn the placing of politics before people.
The city has a standing offer for the President to form a joint working committee to fast-track the rail devolution. They have not received a response from the President despite a public commitment to do so.
Mayor Lewis has his dates due to meet the Transport Minister – Barbara Creecy in Cape Town on Wednesday and will raise the concerns for the city.
City of Cape Town previously stated that the failure of the national government to devolve rail will ultimately grow the necessity for an inter-governmental dispute. However, Cape Town would rather have the President accept an offer for a joint working committee, to set a clear deadline for handing over passenger rail to the metro.
Considering this, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Urban Mobility – Councillor Rob Quintas said that the city’s Rail Feasibility Study is within its final phase. It is ready to go through city council structures for further recommendations.
Furthermore, the research has found that the efficient passenger rail will add R11 billion to the local economy every year and will save the lower income families hundreds of millions in transport costs.
Cape Town is ready for creating jobs through economic growth that comes with working trains. Lower income families are ready for more affordable public transport and that is why, according to Quintas, they expect extreme urgency from the national government to devolve rail for the city to run.
The Extensive Rail Feasibility Study of City of Cape Town sets out the various devolution scenarios and will serve on the Council’s Urban Mobility committee agenda on November 07, 2024.
According to the pending council approval in December, Cape Town is all set to develop the detailed devolution business plans based on viable scenarios for rail takeover including the private sector concessions.